This isn't Neverland
by Feather of Fawkes
Summary: Swara is a quiet, intelligent witch. On one fateful day, she meets James, Sirius, Peter, and Remus on their first train ride to Hogwarts. They instantly become friends. But as the darkness threatens to take over the Wizarding World, what will happen to their friendship?
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own the Marauders. I only own Swara.

Swara Anya Patel looked around her at the bustling train station. "Are you ready, Swara?" her mother asked.

Swara nodded but her parents sensed their daughter's apprehension. "It's okay beti "(form of endearment for a daughter) her dad reassured her. Her parents glanced towards each other as they took in the fear in their daughter's eyes. Swara didn't like to be around a lot of people, and the train was flooded with bustling strangers. Her parents also knew that Swara is rather closed off and finds it hard to make new friends. But Hogwarts is the best magic school, and they both graduated from there. Swara tugged on her dad's hand.

"Daddy, will you write to me?" Swara asked anxiously.

Her mom smiled at her. "Of course we will! We'll write so much that you'll get tired of us." This caused Swara, who would laugh at anything, to smile. "Now, let's get you on the train, okay? You don't want to be late and miss it." Her words did the trick. Swara's eyes widened in dismay. Even though she was scared, Swara prided herself on her punctuality. She quickly grabbed her parent's hands and dragged them towards the train.

"Bye mommy, bye daddy," Swara whispered.

"Bye dikra" (my child) said her mom tearfully. Her dad just pulled her in for a hug. The time had come to say goodbye. Swara fought the tears and left her dad's warm embrace. She looked at them and waved and left, squaring her shoulders. Her parents saw this and smiled to themselves. Their daughter would be okay.

Swara, to her surprise, quickly found an empty compartment. She lifted her trunk up to that ledge and sat down with _Great Expectations._ Engrossed in her novel (she absolutely loved Dickens), Swara didn't notice when four boys walked into her compartment. "Hey mate, do you mind if we sit here? We were kicked out of our compartment," a boy said. Startled, Swara looked up to see a boy with glasses and messy hair looking questioningly at her.

"No. Go ahead," Swara replied. The boy smiled and took a seat next to her. The other three followed in. A handsome boy with black hair and grey eyes sat across from her. Another, weary, sandy-haired boy sat next to him. The last to come in was a mousy little boy.

Once they all got situated, the glasses boy held his hand out to Swara and introduced himself. "Hi, I'm James Potter."

Swara shook his hand and replied with a "Hello. My name is Swara Patel." One by one, the others introduced themselves. The grey-eyed boy was Sirius Black. _Black, where had she heard that name before? Hmmm, she would think about it later._ The sandy-haired one was Remus Lupin. Swara noted the origins of his name mentally and wondered if there was any truth in the name. The last boy, Peter, spoke at a whisper so low she had to strain her neck to hear.

"What are you reading?" Remus asked.

" _Great Expectation_ by Charles Dickens. Have you heard of it?" Swara asked.

Remus' eyes gleamed. He rushed to tell her in what seemed like a rare moment of excitement for him that he loved to read books, and especially Muggle books and that Dickens was one of his favorite. A smile immediately overtook Swara's face. She had already found a kindred spirit in Remus. Maybe Hogwarts wouldn't be as bad as she thought.

Remus and Swara continued to discuss the book for a few minutes until James nudged Swara a little. Swara was taken aback by the familiar gesture. James certainly took no time to feel comfortable with people. But both her and Remus recognized that they were boring their new friends. The topic moved on to something everyone enjoyed: Quidditch. Swara found herself really enjoying their company and having a good time. They good-naturedly fought over which Quidditch team is the best. Swara and Sirius thought Puddlemere United was the best but James was banking that the Chudley Cannons would make a comeback this year after that fiasco from last season. Remus and Peter did not have an opinion, but Swara thought they were just saying that to avoid getting caught in the crossfire. Before they knew it, they had arrived at Hogwarts. The five quickly changed into their robes still bickering about Quidditch with James and Sirius arguing the most.

"Come on Swara! Back me up here!" Sirius exasperatedly told the quiet girl. She only smiled and was about to say something but then a very, very tall man with a booming voice introduced himself as Hagrid. Oh, Swara realized with a jolt. Her parents had told her about Hagrid, the half-giant. They said he was very kind and loved animals. Swara loved animals too. Hagrid instructed the first-years to get in the boats. Swara found herself separated from the others and in a boat with a fiery-haired girl, a black-haired boy who seemed to be her friend, and another girl who gave them all dirty looks. As Hogwarts loomed in front of her, Swara felt her fear returning. _What if I'm terrible at magic? What if I fail everything?_ Her insecurities came back. Even after they had unloaded, Swara stood there looking up at the castle that would be her home for the next 7 years in terror. "It's magnificent, isn't it?" Sirius asked her in amazement.

Swara returned to reality with a jolt. She hadn't realized that the boys had snuck up behind her. She actually didn't think they would come to find her. "Come on Sirius, Swara. We're supposed to be going in now!" James called them.

Swara took a deep breath and walked into the great school.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter world. I only own Swara.

Swara grimaced. The first-years around her were panicking and it wasn't doing anything to help her own fears or her rather sensitive ears. The red-headed girl from the boat hoped that she would get in to Slytherin with her best friend, that strange boy. James was reassuring Sirius that a bloke like him, all jovial like, wouldn't be put into Slytherin. Sirius tried to brush it off but they all could see that he was worried. Apparently, his entire family had been in Slytherin. Black. _Where have I heard that name before?_ Swara promised herself to think about it before going to bed. She suddenly felt someone elbow her in the back. Swara swirled around, fully intent on releasing her pent up anger at the perpetrator. She came face to face with a little girl. "I'm sorry. I'm just so nervous. My name's Bertha Jorkins. What's yours? Are you friends with those four over there? They're very strange. What are their names?"

Swara blinked. The girl, Bertha, spoke unbelievably quickly. Luckily, she was spared having to answer the nosy girl when a middle-aged woman, who had earlier introduced herself as Professor McGonagall, came to retrieve them. She exchanged nervous glances with Remus. _This is it. The moment that will define my entire life here._ Swara stepped into the Great Hall and lost her breath for a moment. The ceiling. It was charmed to reflect the night sky. And it was beautiful.

Swara's mother is a Muggle-born witch and she taught Swara many things a Muggle child would learn in school as Swara was growing up. The young girl always had a fascination with astronomy. The ceiling reminded her a little bit of home. Swara was so taken with it, she hadn't realized that the Sorting had begun. Her parents had already told her about the Sorting Hat because they thought knowing how she would be Sorted would make her feel less anxious (they were right). Swara hated not knowing things.

"Black, Sirius!" Professor McGonagall shouted.

The entire hall quieted down. Swara heard the older students whisper _"Black",_ and _"oh he's a Black"_ to each other. She glanced back at Sirius who's face had a look of pure terror on it. James was fervently praying that his new friend got into Gryffindor next to her. Everyone waited for bated breath until the Hat finally called it out. "Gryffindor!" The hall remained quiet when suddenly the Gryffindor table exploded in cheers, welcoming its newest member. Swara watched Sirius walk over with an expression that was a perfect mixture of shock and glee, unbridled joy. Exchanging glances with James, she grinned widely. Now she could only hope that the others got into Gryffindor as well.

"Lily Evans!" called out Professor McGonagall. The red-head from the boat left her friend's hand and walked slowly up the steps. Swara heard her friend whispering Slytherin over and over again. She turned back to the girl, Lily. It looked like she was having an internal debate with the Hat.

"Gryffindor!"

Swara immediately looked over to the boy. Her friend had such a look of devastation on his face when he heard. That's when Swara knew. She knew right then that boy was in love with Lily Evans. But Swara also knew that inter-House friendships, especially between Gryffindors and Slytherins, were rare. It seemed inevitable to her that their strong friendship was decay. Surprising even herself, Swara found herself hoping that the boy was Sorted into Gryffindor.

There was no further excitement in the Sorting. She watched as that horrid little girl, Bertha, was sorted into Hufflepuff. Her nose scrunched in confusion. How on earth did a girl like that get into the House that valued honesty and kindness? Her expression quickly changed to one of anxiety because it was Remus' turn.

Remus sat on the stool, hands shaking. The Hat didn't take very long with him. He was placed into Gryffindor and the smile on his face showed that's what he wanted. Remus went to join Sirius at the Gryffindor table. James, Peter, and her moved closer together. They waited and waited for Swara's name to be called. Finally, it was her turn. Giving James' and Peter's hands a squeeze, she walked to the stool. The Hat almost slid over her eyes. At once, it began talking to her. "Hmm, interesting… Quite observant aren't you?" Swara didn't respond, not wanting to interrupt the Hat. "You have a great mind, a pure mind. You learn not for the sake of success or grades but because you have an insatiable hunger for knowledge. Ravenclaw would suit you nicely….But wait…There's ambition here yes and a great compassion for all and stores of hidden bravery… yes I think I know where to put you… Gryffindor!"

Swara felt a smile growing on her face. James gave her a thumbs up as she walked past him to join Remus and Sirius. "Well done Swara!" Sirius exclaimed.

She laughed. "Sirius, I didn't have to do anything." He just shrugged.

"Hello, my name is Lily Evans." Swara heard a soft voice say from her left.

"I'm Swara. Swara Patel." They shook hands then, not realizing that one day they would become great friends. Remus nudged her shoulder to tell her that it was Peter's turn now. Peter also took his time up there but eventually was sorted into Gryffindor. Swara felt relief. James was obviously going to get Gryffindor and their emerging friend group wouldn't be split apart.

Sure enough, the Hat only gave it a few second's thought before pronouncing James a Gryffindor. They all exchanged high-fives and the four boys soon lost their interest in the Sorting. Swara, however, still was waiting for one boy.

"Snape, Severus!"

Lily's friend sat on the stool and immediately began muttering something over and over again. She couldn't hear but she would bet anything he was pleading with the Hat to place him in Gryffindor. Next to her, Lily was sitting rigidly, waiting for her best friend's sorting. All of the sudden, a crestfallen look came over the young boy's face. Before the Hat said anything, Swara and Lily knew. The Slytherins welcomed him with open arms and Lily, to her credit, gave him a small smile as he walked by her dejectedly.

Swara felt bad for Severus. She only hoped that he would turn out to be one of the good Slytherins so he could remain friends with Lily. She turned back to the front where Professor Dumbledore welcomed them. He looked very kind. Swara instantly felt herself at ease seeing the Headmaster. He clapped his hands and food appeared in front of her. The boys dug in right away but Swara was not far behind them. In fact, the whole table was eating voraciously. Everyone except one person. Lily. Swara put her hand tentatively on Lily's small shoulder. That broke the red-head out of her reverie. "Sorry Swara. I was just lost in thought."

Small tear trails marked Lily's face, distinct from the freckles. "Lily, I'm sorry about Severus. You guys can still be friends though."

Lily sighed. "I know but Severus is my only friend here and I'm a Muggle-born. We're best friends and I was hoping I would have him with me."

Swara shyly said, "Well, I want to be your friend."

At this Lily brightened and the two instantly began their new friendship talking about the classes they were most excited about. "Hey Swara! Aren't you going to introduce us?" Sirius called out.

At this James turned his head to see Swara's new friend. A dazed look came over his face.

"Woah."


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter world. I only own Swara.

Swara barely looked up when she heard James plop down next to her. It had become a sort of tradition between the two since classes started a couple of months ago. "Swara!" he whined petulantly.

Swara immediately tensed. She recognized this tone he only used when he wanted something from her. Usually something she normally would not agree to. "Yes, James?" she asked cautiously.

"Swara! You know that you're one of my best friends right?" he asked with wide eyes.

By now, Swara knew James enough to be wary of what was inevitable going to come next. "What do you want James? Just tell me," she said exasperatedly.

"Well, you know that Potions essay that is due tomorrow? The one about the properties of bezoars?" James asked.

"No, I will not let you copy off of mine James. Ask Remus to help you."

"I can't. Remus went home that day remember? His grandmother was sick," James said frustrated.

Swara sighed. She didn't know why but she felt protective of Remus. Like an older sister. "Poor Remus. It must be terrible to have a family member so sick that he has to go see her every month."

At this James eye's clouded over only to be replaced by a shrewd look a few moments later. A look that Swara entirely missed. "Swara, that's why we need you. Remus needs help with the essay too and Sirius and I can't help him. And you know Peter. Come on Swara. "

Swara couldn't resist. Remus needed her help. "Okay fine. But I'm only helping you guys because Remus missed that lesson."

James grinned and tugged her towards the boys dormitories. Inside, Sirius was lounging on his bed with a bored look on his face while Remus had his quill in his mouth, his forehead scrunched up in confusion. When Sirius saw her, he leapt up. "Swara! I knew you wouldn't leave us to fend for ourselves!" Sirius said dramatically.

At this outburst, Remus looked up and smiled faintly at her. "Thanks so much for this Swara. I can't believe James convinced you-" he was interrupted by Swara.

"I'm not going to let you guys copy my essay. I'm only going to help you write it," Swara clarified. The boys nodded in agreement. Swara began to talk about the bezoar. The impromptu lesson went smoothly except for the few times when Peter asked her to repeat herself and when Sirius mimed shoving a bezoar down James' throat.

When Swara finally left, she was drained. In the short amount of time she knew the boys, they had all grown fairly close but their constant energy exhausted her. She was glad she had Lily who was much calmer and more rational than the boys.

Swara trudged up the steps to the girls' dormitories. She changed into her night clothes and got out _Hamlet_. Although she detested how women were represented in the play, Swara had an old love for _Hamlet_. She was right at the part when Hamlet was reunited with Horatio when the door suddenly opened and Lily came in. "Where were you Lily?" Swara asked.

"I was with Severus in the library. _Hamlet_ again Swara?" Lily laughed good-naturedly. "Hey can I borrow something from your trunk to read?"

Swara nodded in assent and went back to the world of Shakespeare. An hour passed and Swara looked over to see Lily engrossed in her admittedly tattered copy of _Pride and Prejudice._ Their other dorm mates, Dorcas Meadows and Emily Kent, had already gone to bed. Swara put away her book and closed the curtains around her four-poster bed.

 _Night time_ , she thought _, is the best time to think. Undisturbed and quiet, your mind can really flow._ Swara reflected on the last few weeks. After the Sorting, the first-years had gone to bed to prepare for the first day of class. Lily and Swara couldn't sleep though. The excitement was too much. So, they talked about themselves. Lily's favorite color was in fact green. She told Swara about her fears that her sister hated her. Personally, Swara thought Lily was better off without her evil sister but she didn't say anything. They soon discovered they had a common love of knowledge. They had finally nodded off while talking about Muggle literature.

Swara peeked out from the curtains and saw Lily was still reading. She looked so gentle and calm but Swara knew her friend had a fiery spirit. Within the first week, she had yelled at James for bullying Severus. Swara had agreed to talk to James about it but it made no difference. James and Sirius had an inexplicable hatred for all Slytherins. But Swara suspected the hidden reasons behind their dislike. Sirius, naturally, hated Slytherins because they reminded him of his own family. And James…Swara suspected that James may be jealous of Severus' friendship with Lily. But she couldn't tell Lily any of that. Not without breaking James' and Sirius' trust. On that first night, Swara remembered where she had heard the name Black before. Her parents worked in the Ministry. Her mother was an Auror and her father was in the Magical Law Enforcement. They would come home sometimes and talk about the bigoted Blacks, especially Mrs. Walburga Black. From what Swara understood, they were a very rich and ancient pureblood family. Almost like royalty. Questions began plaguing her mind. Sirius grew up with those people? Surely, he wasn't like them though? The next morning, she had confronted Sirius about it. That's when he told her and the boys about his maniacal family and how he hated them. Sirius didn't go into any details about his childhood and no one pressed him. Swara sighed. She valued her friends, she really did. But Lily had her issues with Petunia, Sirius had secrets about his family, Remus was also hiding something. And no one wanted to talk about it.

She hadn't realized how long she spend contemplating her friends until she heard Lily's curtains rustle as she pulled them around to sleep. Her own eyelids began drooping and she finally fell asleep.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I don't own the Harry Potter world. I only own Ananya and the plot.

Swara woke up the next morning in a state of panic. Her alarm hadn't gone off and judging by the ray of sunshine peeking in through the curtains, she was late for class. Swara hurriedly got up and fell off the bed in her rush to put on her robes. The thud woke up Dorcas who blearily looked at Swara, laying on her back with a startled expression. "Swara! Did you just fall off your bed?" Dorcas asked. Swara mutedly nodded. A seconds of silence passed, and then Dorcas burst into laughter. Which of course woke up Lily and Emily. "Swara, sh-sh-she just fell-just fell of her bed!" Dorcas struggled to explain to Lily and Emily while she was gasping for air. At this, Emily also chuckled and Lily, though she tried to hide it, was giggling. Swara gathered whatever dignity she had left and pulled herself up from the cold ground. She straightened out her robes and, without even a backwards glance, she grabbed her bookbag and walked out of the dorm. Her fellow dorm mates watched her go with an incredulous expression.

Finally, Lily broke the silence. "Should we tell her that it's Saturday?"

The three girls simultaneously looked at each other and said, "Nah."

* * *

Meanwhile, Swara practically ran down the stairs in her rush. "Where are you going Swara?" Peter asked her. At this, the other boys looked up just in time to see their frenzied friend wave quickly and walk out of the Common Room. "Where do you reckon she's going on a Saturday morning?" Peter mused aloud.

"Beats me. She had her bookbag with her. Maybe she's going to the library," Sirius said nonchalantly. He resumed his game of wizard's chess with James, and Remus went back to his book that Swara lent him.

"Well, why would she have her robes on? And why was she in such a hurry to get to the library?" Peter persisted.

"Hmm, he does have a point there Sirius," Remus said. "Oh no!"

"What happened?" Sirius asked urgently.

"I think she's gone to class," Remus explained.

"Why? It's Saturday. Surely she…oh" James realized. "You think we should go stop her?"

In answer, Sirius moved his knight to E5, and Remus flipped a page in his book.

* * *

Minutes later, the door burst open to reveal a very disgruntled Swara. She was muttering vehemently under her breath and didn't even notice the four boys in the Common Room until Sirius spoke up. "How was class dearest Swara?"

She whirled around. "You guys knew? You knew it was Saturday and you didn't tell me!" she yelled.

Before they could say anything, Lily came down. "Oh Swara, you're back. Had a nice trip?" she asked innocently.

"You all knew and you didn't say anything!"

"Wow, why are you so upset?" Remus asked.

"I could've slept in!" Swara whined.

At that the others laughed. "God forbid someone get in the way between Swara and her sleep!" joked James. Swara just glared at them and stormed upstairs.

"Not having the best day is she?" Remus stated.

"Yeah but she'll be okay in a little bit. You know Swara. She can be hot-tempered but she always cool down quickly," Lily said. Then she seemed to suddenly realize who she was talking to and, after shooting Remus a small smile, left for the library.

Peter began to practice the Levitation charm that he needed to perfect for Flitwick by Monday. "Wingardium leviosah…wingardium leviosah" he kept muttering. He tried and tried but it didn't work.

Remus stepped in after noticing that Peter was getting nowhere with the charm. "Pete, it's leviOsa, not leviosA. And you need to swish and flick your wand, not jab it in the air."

Peter nodded and tried that. Unfortunately or maybe not so unfortunately, just as he was about to start the incantation, Sirius let out a large whoop of joy. "Yes! I won!" Peter fumbled his words and the passerby, Nick Johnson, the Gryffindor Beater, got hit with Peter's faulty charm. Nick's blonde hair started turning darker until it was brown. He glared at the first-year boys. James and Sirius glared right back. After a few moments of the staring contest, Nick quickly muttered a countercharm and left for practice.

Once he was out of earshot, James turned to Peter and started laughing. "That was bloody brilliant Peter! Did you see his face?" Sirius and Peter joined in and Remus shook his head at them, albeit with a small smirk. "Hey Pete, do you remember what exactly you said?" James asked once they had calmed down.

"Yeah. I meant to cast the Levitation charm but Sirius surprised me so I accidently cast the color-changing charm. The incantation's _colovaria_."

"Excellent," Sirius said. By this point, Remus looked a little alarmed. Before he could say anything, Swara came down.

"Sorry I yelled guys. I was not having the best of mornings today," she apologized as she sat down next to them.

"SWARA! I'm so glad you've forgiven poor sods like us!" James declared boisterously. Swara didn't notice him wink at Sirius though, and she didn't hear Sirius mutter something that sounded suspiciously like a spell under his breath.

"JAMES! You all are my best friends! I'll always forgive you anything," Swara said amusedly. They talked about trifles for the next hour. James complained about how long it took Sirius to comb his hair, and Sirius complained that James snored. Remus struck up a conversation with Swara about his book.

"Yeah it's quite good Swara. You have any other recommendations?" he asked, anticipating the gleam that would shine in his friend's eyes when she talked about books.

Sure enough, Swara's eyes sparkled in happiness as she talked about books. "After this one, you should give Bronte a go Remus. I have _Wuthering Heights_ with me. Oh and I know you like Dickens and I brought most of his books. If you ever want to read anything, just let me know okay?"

Their conversation was brought to a close when James butted in. "Can you two at least pretend that you're not nerds? Sirius, Peter, and I have a reputation to maintain you know."

Swara snorted. "What reputation? We've only been here for a couple of months. You don't have a reputation yet."

"She's right mate. Nobody knows us. We're no ones, nobodies, losers, lost in the crowd," Sirius said dejectedly.

James looked affronted at the idea of not having a reputation. "We shall have to change that my dear friends! Everyone in Hogwarts will soon know the names of James Potter and his trusty friends!"

"And how exactly do you plan to do that Mr. Potter?" Remus asked sarcastically. James was stumped.

"Swara! You have to-Oh my god Swara! Your hair!" Lily cried as soon as she barged in. Swara's hands immediately went to her hair.

"What are you on about? What's wrong with my hair?" Swara said panicking. She pulled a strand forward and gasped. "WHY IS MY HAIR PURPLE?" she shouted. The few other people in the Common Room looked up and started chuckling. Lily wisely took Swara up into the girl's dormitories to fix her friend's dilemma. After they left, a couple of the older students who saw what happened approached the boys.

"That was a brilliant prank guys. Nice work," they said before they all dispersed and the Common Room was once again nearly empty.

James grinned at his friends. "That's how they'll know us."


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter world. I only own Swara and the plot.

Swara rolled her eyes at James, and Remus chuckled when he saw. For the past few days, James and Sirius had gotten carried away with their pranks. The day after they had pranked her, the boys decided to levitate Severus and make him fly around the Great Hall. Needless to say, Lily was not pleased. Swara warned James about the fine line between pranking and bullying but she didn't think any of them actually paid attention to her. Anyways, Professor McGonagall was not very happy with them and gave them detention for the entire week. Today was the last night and the boys had just returned from scrubbing the Trophy Room. "We're finally free!" James yelled with his arms spread out in the middle of the Common Room. Lily just huffed and left the room, and the boys and Swara laughed at his antics.

"Swara, you want to come plot another prank with us?" Sirius asked.

She raised her eyebrows. "I thought you guys were happy to be done with detention. Why would you set up another prank and get another detention?"

It was James' turn to roll his eyes. "Oh Swara, we have a reputation to maintain. Plus, pranking is really fun. I mean, did you see Snivellus' face when we levitated him?" he broke out into sniggers.

Despite her misgivings, Swara was curious about how they planned their pranks. Also, she would be lying if she said she didn't have a mischievous side.

"And Swara, don't lie to us. We know that you liked the prank. We saw you laughing," Remus said.

She threw her hands up in exasperation. "Okay, I'll come with you."

The boys cheered and dragged her up into their room where, the moment they opened the door, Swara's nose was assaulted with a pungent smell. "Uh! Do you guys ever shower or clean?"

They laughed at her disgusted expression. "You'll have to get used to it Swara. We're your best friends after all."

"You can sit with me Swara. My bed is clean," Remus added. "The others are pigs."

They all laughed, and Swara nimbly picked her way through dozens of socks and clothes. She looked expectantly at them and they stared back. "Well, let's get started then. But don't tell Lily okay? She'll kill me. Wait are you going to prank Severus? Because then I can't help you."

Sirius actually pouted at this. "Why? Pranking Snivellus is so much fun though!"

Peter swatted his arm. "Why don't why just prank the Slytherins in general?"

James' eyes lit up at that and the planning began. Swara was amazed at the whole process. When they had said planning, she didn't really think it would be that involved. I mean, how hard is it to prank someone, especially when you're a wizard? But the boys put a lot of thought into it from the perfect time to prank them to what spell to use to when to use the countercurse. "What do you think Swara?" Remus asked.

"Hmm?"

Sirius rolled his eyes. _I think eye-rolling is contagious,_ Swara thought with a private smile. "We're going to prank the Slytherins at dinner but what spell should we use?"

"How about _densaugeo?_ Make their teeth grow grotesquely," Swara offered. "But you would have to hit each person individually then."

"That's okay. We'll just hit Snivellus!" James began to laugh but immediately stopped when he saw Swara's less than amused face. "Sorry Swara. Ok back to the drawing board."

"Wait James. Swara does raise a good point. How are we ever going to advance in our pranks if we can't prank multiple people at once?" Sirius questioned.

They fell into silence, trying to think of ways to solve this problem. "What about the Shield Charm? _Protego?"_ James asked. We all looked at him in confusion. "If you cast a spell and it hits a shield, it just deflects off it right? So what if we casted the spell and hit it with the hex?"

Swara was impressed. Sometimes she forgot that James was extremely bright. In theory, it seemed to work. Suddenly, Sirius shot a jinx at James. James quickly said "Protego" and the jink hit Sirius causing his teeth to grow. But it only hit Sirius, not Peter who was right next to him. James seemed slightly disappointed.

"It was a really good idea James. But I think you need to have a specific angle for it to hit multiple people and that would take too much work in a prank," Swara said. "And I had no idea that you could cast a Shield Charm!"

"Oh, come off it. You could do it too you know. You're just as smart as us, if not more," James said.

"You know the incantation right? Just flick your wand upward," Sirius explained. Swara tried it and a silvery, luminescent wall separated her from the others. Just as she was about to lower it, James and Sirius hit the shield with a jinx and this time, when it rebounded, it hit them all. Once again, silence transcended the group. Then Swara gave a whoop of joy and the boys started jumping up and down in joy. "We did it!" Sirius exclaimed.

"Until we figure out a more efficient method, this will have to do," James said.

"Oh no! I'm supposed to meet Lily in the library to help her with Transfiguration!" Swara exclaimed.

"Transfiguration? I'm also good at Transfiguration! I could help Lily!" James said eagerly.

Swara laughed. "I don't think that is a good idea, Potter," she mimicked Lily. She quickly dashed out of the door with a small wave to the boys. _Merlin, I hope Lily doesn't kill me. Or worse, ask me what I was doing!_

The next morning, Swara woke up with a jolt when she felt a pillow hit her. Looking over it, she was Lily wearing a very uncharacteristic smirk. "That was for being late yesterday."Swara grumbled and got ready for classes. Suddenly, a bright smile painted her face. Lily looked over suspiciously. "Why are you so happy?"

"No reason. I feel like today is going to be a good day." _And the Slytherins are going to look like beavers,_ she thought privately.

The day passed by slower than Swara would've liked. Poor Emily forgot to complete her Potions homework and Slughorn have her detention. Finally, dinner arrived and they all gathered in the Great Hall. Swara sat down in her usual place with the boys across from her and Lily next to her. She gave them a casual smirk, and they grinned back. Swara quickly controlled her expression as Lily was looking at her with doubt again. Sirius kicked Swara under the table when Lily was distracted and mouthed, "Are you ready?"

Swara pointed to herself and shook her head, indicating that while she helped them plan the prank, she was not going to participate in it. James and Sirius tried to silently argue with her so that they were exchanging comical gestures back and forth. Unbeknownst to them, Remus surreptitiously took a picture of the three. "Swara, are you ready to go?" Lily said, turning around.

They immediately stopped their silent exchange and Swara said, "Sorry Lily, I'm not done yet but you can go on ahead."

Lily decided to wait for her friend. The boys excused themselves, and Swara busied herself talking with Lily. "Ahh!" a scream resounded from the Slytherin table. Everyone turned to look at them and started laughing hysterically. The Slytherins' teeth were growing remarkably fast, past their chins, and necks. Some of the older students frantically whipped out their wands to perform the counter hex but found themselves unable to speak the incantation. Swara herself was doubled over in laughter until she saw Lily's affronted face.

"Sorry…Lily but it's…you have to admit…admit that it's…hilarious!" Swara struggled to get out. By now, her stomach tightened painfully and she couldn't breathe.

"I bet James and his pals did this right? Right Swara? You're friends with them, you would know. Oh, when I get a hold of those boys…" Lily broke off, muttering darkly. Swara just continued giggling as Professor McGonagall quickly fixed up the Slytherins. They started looking around for the perpetrators, probably to get revenge, but the boys were nowhere to be found. Probably hiding somewhere, Swara thought with a smile.

Lily excused herself to go talk to Severus and Swara imagined the two complaining about the pig-headedness of the Gryffindor boys. She snorted. Just then, a flash of black caught her eye. James' hair. They were hiding behind the suit of armor. Swara stealthily walked over to it and shouted "Hi!"

The result was comical to say the least. Peter shrieked and fell onto Remus who accidently smacked Sirius in the eye. Sirius howled in pain and turned around into James who then fell onto his butt. The last step to this domino effect was when the suit of armor crashed against the wall, deafening Swara. She grimaced and quickly waved her wand so that the suit would right itself. But her attempts to cover up the incident failed. Professor McGonagall heard and was stalking towards them, her lips pinched in a tight line. Swara could tell that she (correctly) assumed that the prank was the work of the boys currently struggling to regain their balance. "Mr. Potter! What is the meaning of this? Haven't you all had enough from the detention I gave you?" Their faces fell when they thought of the hundreds of trophies they would have to polish next. Indeed, Swara was rather enjoying herself until, suddenly, McGonagall rounded on her. "And you Ms. Patel! I didn't think you were the type to do something like this."

Behind McGonagall, Sirius and James smirked at Swara's flabbergasted face. Hey, if they were going down, she had to go down with them. After all, it was her idea.

Swara blubbered, "But professor, I had nothing to do with it. I was sitting, eating dinner with Lily. You can ask her if you want. I swear, I would never do this!"

Professor McGonagall's eyes softened as she took in the poor girl's state. Clearly, she was wrong. Swara was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. "Oh alright Ms. Patel. I believe you." Swara's eyes brightened at this just as the boys' jaws dropped at how she had gotten away scot-free. "But you! You all have two weeks of detention!" The professor stormed off. Swara breathed a sigh of relief. One that quickly turned into a gasp of fear when she took in the menacing stares on all of the boys' faces, even Remus'.

They advanced slowly towards her. "Guys, it's not my fault," she tried saying.

"You helped us plan Swara, you should be in detention with us!" James yelled.

"Hell, you even gave us the idea!" Sirius agreed.

Swara broke off into a run towards the Common Room. She could them thundering after her but Swara was nimble and fast. Almost out of air, she managed to say, "Hippogriff" before running into the tower and slamming the door shut. There was only one place where they couldn't get to her: her dormitory. The door opened behind her, and in a burst of speed, she sprinted up the steps. At the top, she doubled over, gasping for air. After a few moments, she saw the boys at the foot of the steps.

"You'll have to come down soon enough Swara! We'll get you then," Remus surprisingly vowed.

Swara stuck her tongue out at them and disappeared into her room. Inside, she distracted herself by finishing up the homework due for tomorrow (a 36 inch Potions essay! What was Slughorn thinking?) A couple of hours passed and she heard someone enter the Common Room. "Lily!" she heard James exclaim.

Swara ran out to the top of the steps. It was her red-haired friend. "Lily!" The witch in question looked suspiciously from Swara to the boys.

"Has something happened?" Lily astutely asked.

Swara opened her mouth and began saying, "James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter are trying to-"

James interrupted her, "We're trying to apologize to Swara about the prank."

The other boys and Swara looked at the bespectacled boy in astonishment. But then knowing smiles crossed their faces, well, except for Peter, when they saw James subconsciously rub his hand across the back of his neck and blush a little.

"Well, you should be apologizing to the Slytherins! It may have been funny, but it wasn't right!" Lily angrily said.

But James only heard one thing. "You thought it was funny?" he asked with a mix of hope and incredulity.

Well-spoken, assured Lily suddenly was at a loss for words. "I…um…I need to go study!" she said and ran up into the dormitories.

Swara looked back at her friends and then at James who was still lost in space.

"You think she realized that she just came from the library?"


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: Happy Birthday Professor McGonagall!**

Swara shivered as the wind nipped at her exposed ears. Winter was setting in and it was only a few weeks until Christmas. Of course, this only meant that the professors felt like they had to pile up on the homework to make up for Christmas break. Herbology especially was starting to be a right pain in the neck. Everyone had their weaknesses and herbology was hers. She was decent at it but she didn't have the skill that some of the other students had. Peter, in particular, was very good with plants. Grumbling about the stupidity of plants, Swara entered greenhouse one to see nasty looking plants actually writhing. "This is the Devil's Snare." Sprout announced with a smile. Next to her, James looked equally horrified. Sirius, as usual, just looked bored. Only Remus, Lily, and Peter were listening to Sprout. Swara only caught the last few words. "Today, all of you will take turns being "caught" as it were by the plant. You all should be able to successfully escape if you have done the assigned readings."

Swara wrinkled her nose in distaste. She had, in fact, done the reading but the thought of willingly getting into that tangle of weeds…Uh. Peter seemed ecstatic but the others looked equally horrified. "Who would like to go first?" Sprout asked. No one raised their hands. Peter was too shy to go first anyways. "Well then, Ms. Patel, you're up first."

Her face blanched, and slowly walked up to the snare. Swara looked back. Sprout seemed a little too excited at the prospect that her students were walking into a hazardous situation. Swara approached the snare with trepidation and before she could place her foot in it, the tendrils began to wrap around her feet. They worked their way up to the rest of her body. Swara stiffened immediately. Having plants slither up her body was not her idea of fun. Even though she knew she shouldn't panic, she felt her breath coming out in short gasps as the tendrils tightened. Forcing herself to slow her breathing, Swara reluctantly closed her eyes and took deep breaths in and out. Finally, she felt the tendrils drawing away from her until she was completely free. Before Sprout could say anything, Swara swiftly strode back towards her friends. "Mr. Potter, you're next!" The rest of the Gryffindors were also able to fend off the Devil's Snare with the exception of Daphne Fenmore who had a severe case of claustrophobia. Peter, of course, didn't even have to suffer through the agonizing minutes as the plant wrapped itself around you. He just conjured up a little fire. And it truly was little. While a natural at Herbology, Peter was not very skilled at anything else.

"What a stupid lesson!" Swara exclaimed as she and the other boys walked back to lunch. Lily was meeting up with Severus.

"You're only saying that because you hate Herbology," Remus said very matter-of-factly.

Now grumbling about Herbology and Remus, Swara stomped to the Gryffindor table and started to ladle a little bit of everything onto her plate. "I'm glad you eat a lot Swara. Makes me feel less self-conscious," Sirius noted.

Swara said something unintelligibly. They all looked at her questioningly. "I said, is that supposed to be an insult?"

"No, I think it's admirable that an eleven year old can stuff so much food in her body," Sirius said with complete conviction. Then, all of the sudden, they all started laughing. After a few seconds, Swara joined in. And that was when the first picture of their friendship was taken by a chuckling Remus Lupin.

All of the sudden, a stern voice rang out. "Potter, Black, Lupin, Pettigrew! Come to my office right now!" McGonagall said.

The boys winked at Swara and sauntered to her office. Well, James and Sirius did. Remus just walked and Peter tried to keep up on his short legs. Swara snorted. She told them not to release the Nifflers into the school but they didn't listen to her.

She would never tell anyone but she could've sworn she saw McGonagall smirk when one of the Nifflers stole Narcissa Malfoy's priceless necklace.

Maybe their stern professor had a prankster side to her after all.


	7. Chapter 7

"Lily! Stop Lily!" Swara's frantic voice called. "Lily please! I'll do anything!"

Her best friend, Lily Evans, was currently holding Swara's pillow over the flames in the fireplace. Swara has had that pillow since she was a year old. It was one of her prized possessions. "Do you promise to hang out with Severus and I tomorrow?" Lily asked.

"Yes! I will hang out with the two of you! I won't be with the boys at all tomorrow! I promise!" Swara swore.

About five minutes earlier, Lily had asked Swara to meet her and Severus by the Black Lake on Saturday. Swara replied that she already had plans with the boys, to which Lily angrily yelled at Swara for spending all her time with those hooligans.

With a triumphant smirk, Lily tossed the pillow over to Swara. "I can't believe you're not in Slytherin Lily."

The red-head in question just stuck her tongue out at Swara. Just then, Swara's owl, Nymph, flew in through the Common Room window. "Hello there Nymph. What do you have for me today?" Swara cooed to her pet.

Nymph nuzzled against her owner's outstretched fingers and lifted up her leg. "It's a letter from my parents!" Swara exclaimed. She ripped open the letter and quickly perused the writing. "It says I can invite all of you to the annual Christmas party over break!"

"Do my ears deceive me? I hear something about a party," James said as he and the others entered the Common Room.

Swara glanced at them suspiciously. "Where were you at dinner today?"

"We were in the library catching up on some work," Peter replied. When Swara raised her eyebrows at Remus, he nodded in affirmation.

"My parents have an annual Christmas party, and they said I can invite all of you!"

"Finally! My parents always go to that party but I was too young!" James said.

"So is that a yes then? Can you all come?" Swara asked, specifically directing her question to Sirius. While the other students knew that Sirius' family was a pureblood maniac, only she and the other boys knew about how strict and imposing they were to Sirius.

"I'll owl my parents Swara," Sirius distastefully said. "But I can't guarantee anything."

She nodded sympathetically. Although her own parents didn't approve of the Blacks, Swara had told them about Sirius and they were more than willing to accept the young boy. "Well, I'm off to bed," Lily said. She never stayed long in James' presence. Once she was gone, Sirius whispered so only she and the other boys could hear.

"Are you parents okay with me coming?" Sirius asked insecurely. Swara sighed and hugged him. Soon after, James and Remus joined in as well.

"Don't worry Sirius. I've told them about you, and they think that you're wonderful."

James broke out of the embrace. "Have you told them about me? And about how awesome and amazing I am?" he said with his chest (and the non-existent muscles) puffed out.

Swara and Remus rolled their eyes. "Yes, I said that you were an okay fellow once I can look past the big head," she joked.

"Oi!" James exclaimed and smacked her head with one of the cushions.

Just as Swara was about to retaliate, Lily's voice rang from the dormitories. "Swara! Come here!" Swara just glared at James and went upstairs.

In the room, Lily was sitting on Swara's bed. "Oi, get off my bed!" Swara said.

"Swara, can I ask you something?" Lily said demurely.

This shocked Swara. Lily was anything but demure. She immediately nodded. "Will there be other Muggleborns at your party?"

Swara sighed at her friend's insecurities. Lily was clever and kind but she still felt out of place in the Wizarding world at times. "Lily, how many times have I told you to stop worrying about being a Muggleborn? There won't be any other kids at the party except for you and the boys but my parents work with some witches and wizards who are Muggleborns and they will be there. And don't worry. My parents don't invite pureblood maniacs like the Malfoys and the Blacks to their parties. " Lily still seemed despondent. A sly smile spread over Swara's face. "Besides, Mr and Mrs Potter will be there. You can meet your future in-laws."

At this Lily jumped up and started hitting Swara with pillows. "Ow! What is with you and James hitting me with pillows all the time? Must be a couple thing," she said while being under attack.

That was the wrong thing to say. The beating only got worse after that. "I. Will. Never. Ever. Like. James. Potter. Ever!" Lily emphasized with each hit.

"Okay okay! You've made your point Lily. Let me go, O Merciful Lord! O Glorious Lily-flower!" Swara mocked. Lily fially relented and the two girls fell onto the floor, laughing hysterically. Dorcas walked in on the sight and just shook her head at the two.

"I don't even want to know," she said.

While Swara and Lily were having their little "spat", they hadn't realized that their dulcet tones reached the ears of a certain black haired, hazel eyed first year boy down in the Common Room. James Potter heard everything and he was nothing if not determined. Lily's blatant rejection of him didn't matter. In fact, there were only two words that he seemed to take away from the entire conversation. Still in a daze, he stumbled up to his room and lay on his bed.

A shy smile graced his face as he whispered two words to the ceiling. "Lily-flower."


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter world. I only own the plot and Swara.

Sirius fell. Blinking dazedly, he looked up and swept his hair and the chimney dust out of his face. Looking down at him was Swara. "Hi Sirius!"

He got up slowly and took in his surroundings. He was at Swara's house for the Christmas party. Truthfully, he was shocked that his parents had allowed him to come. He had hoped that they were turning over a new leaf. But, as usual, sending Sirius away was just part of their plan. His father had rather ruthlessly said, "Go to your friend's house and you can stay there for the remainder of break. There is still talk of your Sorting and I will not have your disgraceful beliefs besmirch the dignity of this family, especially not since the Lestranges are staying to talk of their son's marriage with Bella."

Now, normally, Sirius would've been elated to spend time with his friends but he was too scared that Swara's parents might hate him.

Speaking of which, Swara was impatiently tugging on his hand. "My parents are in the kitchen. We'll meet them and then I'll take you to your room. _Let's go Sirius!_ " she yanked on his arm. Sirius reluctantly let Swara lead him to her parents.

The kitchen was bright but chaotic. House-elves were hobbling about, rushing to prepare the dishes. At the center of it all, Swara's parents were preparing the dessert, covered in flour and chocolate. "Mummy, Daddy! Sirius is here!"

Her parents looked up and smiled. "Welcome Sirius! Swara has told us much about you. I'm afraid that we are slightly busy right now but there will be plenty of time to talk tomorrow." Swara's father warmly said.

"Swara, take him to his room. And have fun Sirius!" Swara's mother said. Sirius dazedly said goodbye before Swara once again tugged on his arm and dragged him up the stairs. _They don't hate me,_ Sirius thought with surprise.

Sirius let himself be pulled along by the 11-year old girl, past the innumerable rooms until she finally stopped in front of one. "This will be your room. That one," she said, pointing to the room on the left of his, "is James'. The one on your left is Remus' and the one next to his is Peter's. Please don't make me regret that I put you guys together. If you need anything, my room is that one next to James'."

Sirius opened the door, and his jaw dropped. As a member of the Black family, he was used to living in luxury but he was not expecting this. The room was extremely large. Just as large as his was back at the Black family mansion. And it didn't even look like a guest room. The walls were lined with Quidditch and Gryffindor posters, and there was a huge picture of him with the boys and Swara on one wall. This room felt like home. "Do you like it?" Swara asked nervously. "The boys and I decorated it because all of the guest rooms were plain before, and since you all are staying for the rest of break, my parents thought we should make the rooms more lively and comfortable. The photograph was Remus' idea. You can change it if you want."

"No Swara. It's great." He smiled a large, toothy grin at her and was rewarded with a smile of her own.

"Okay, great! The others are in the backyard. Let's go before Lily kills James." Swara led Sirius through the house until they got to an open door leading into the expansive yard. If he squinted, Sirius could make out the flame-red of Lily's hair by the river. "Sirius is here!"

Shouts and whoops of joy were heard from the boys. They ran up to their mate. "Did Swara show you your room already? Did you like it?" James asked.

"It was brilliant, mate. You know me so well," Sirius faked a tear and pulled James into a hug.

Swara rolled her eyes and walked over to join Lily. "Boys," they said to each other, as if that explained everything.

They lounged around the lake until Swara's parents called them in to get ready. "James, are your parents coming?" Sirius asked.

James nodded. Sirius turned to Remus. "What about your parents Remus?"

"Not this year. My parents are taking a holiday for the next week, until term starts again. My dad thought he and my mum should take a break since I'll be here for the next week and the full-" Remus abruptly stopped talking.

James and Sirius exchanged looks with Swara. _Full what?_ They knew Remus was hiding something. What was this big secret that he couldn't even tell to his friends?


End file.
